Monday, October 29, 2012

How many times have you finished a project & had leftover scraps of lace? And usually, they are so small, there isn't much need for them, right?

Here is a quick and easy use for those scraps of lace that will easily brighten up a room!

Light up the autumn season with a collection of beautiful, lace-wrapped candles. This simple project will lend a delightfully eerie, yet elegant touch to your seasonal décor.

Glowing Lace

By Jessica Woodroof

MATERIALS

›Laces in cream, white and black (can be vintage or new)

›Pillar and votive candles in cream, white and black

›Glue stick

›Scissors

›Paper towels

›Scrap paper

›Straight pins

Instructions

1.Select an assortment of candles, and experiment with different looks by wrapping lace lengths around candles, temporarily pinning in place with straight pins. Once you have chosen your favorite lace-and-candle combinations, trim laces to appropriate lengths and unpin from candles. NOTE: Trim lace pieces a little bit longer than needed to avoid a gap between lace ends.

2.Lay a piece of scrap paper onto a flat work surface. Place a piece of lace, wrong side up, onto paper. Use a glue stick to generously coat back side of lace with glue.

3.Carefully lift lace off of paper; press glued side of lace onto candle, wrapping lace all the way around. Use scissors to trim away any excess lace so that cut edges meet precisely end-to-end and lie flat against candle, creating a barely-visable seam.

4.Wrap candle in a clean, dry paper towel. Place candle on its side on a flat, hard surface, and roll candle back and forth a few times to help adhere lace to candle and remove excess glue.

5.Carefully unwrap candle from paper towel, making sure lace does not pull away from candle. Discard paper towel. Set candle aside and allow glue to dry before handling. NOTE: Glue may take several days to dry completely.

6.Repeat process with remaining candles to create a coordinating set.

Tips & Ideas

•For a spooky, Halloween appeal, I tried to use simple, “unfussy” laces without many flowers. Vintage or stained laces can also help portray a mysterious feeling.

•I would advise working near a sink, as the gluing process can make your hands very sticky.

•Thrift stores, yard sales and antique stores are great places to find vintage laces. You can also find a wide selection of new cotton laces in white, cream and black atstore.marthapullen.com.

•Be sure to always take extra care when burning candles, and never leave them unattended.

Jessica Woodroof is an artisan jewelry designer, handcrafter and homemaker residing in Huntsville, Alabama. She loves living a simple life with her wonderful husband Brian, and adorable cat Anna, in their lovely 1930s stone cottage. She spends her days baking bread, sewing, cleaning, decorating, gardening and creating whimsical pieces of wooden jewelry. You can find more of her work at thearchitectswife.etsy.com and themissingthread.etsy.com.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

We love our fans, and to show you just how much, we are going to have a giveaway:

This magnifying table lamp will become your best partner when working with details. The combination of the 12w Full Spectrum Naturalight tube and the 3.5 in. lens will allow you to see details like never before. No more squinting, no more headaches, this Naturalight product will help you get the best result every time! And you will be surprised by how flexible the head is and how easy it is to position this lamp.

Small and powerful table lamp

12w Natural light tube (energy saving)

35 in. diameter lens (175X) with inset lens (4X)

Supplied with tube and lens cover

Height: 13.7 in.

MFG Brand Name : Daylight

MFG Model # : UN1040

MFG Part # : UN1040

You have until 11:59pm, Sunday, 10/21 to enter! Click HERE & fill out the form.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Thinking about selling those crafts you've been
giving away as gifts or maybe you are just running out of rooms to put them in?
Sites like Etsy.com are reporting record sales of handmade items. But craft makers
taking the initial leap into starting a home business share a burning question:
"how much should I charge for my handmade products?"

James Dillehay, author of the new book, How
to Price Crafts and Things You Make to Sell, says that the key question you
need to focus on is this: "How will people pay for products like mine?"

Dillehay’s book offers a wealth of guidance into
the proper pricing of crafts and unique personal creations. Here are some of
his best ideas on getting it right quickly:

Know Your Production Costs:

1.Identify the material
costs - know exactly what it costs you to make an item. Include
all materials, even small stuff like thread, paint, accessories, and other
items that may have cost you only pennies. Example: a handmade gift contains $4
worth of materials.

2.Determine the cost of
labor - what your time is worth to you. If your personal minimum
wage is $12 an hour, then multiply $12 times the hours it takes you to make one
piece. Example: the handcrafted gift takes one hour to make for a labor cost of
$12.

3.Identify all your
overhead costs. Cover overhead expenses like rent, utilities,
phone, etc. Look at your monthly costs and divide it by the hours you
work or the number of items you produce. Calculate a unit cost for overhead.

4.Calculate a total cost
per unit. Add the material cost, cost of labor and overhead
cost together. Example: $4 + $12 + $4 = $20. This is the minimum amount you
must recover when you sell the item, but not necessarily your asking price.

Research the Market Price:

5. Identify
similar products in the marketplace where you will be selling. Document the retail
prices. Research prices for similar items online. Visit local craft fairs or
retail stores. Talk to the owners and ask them what items like yours sell for
and what they are willing to buy them for. Note: stores will usually double or
triple their cost 5.to arrive at the retail
price.

6.Decide if you can make
a profit. If the average retail price of similar items is
higher than your minimum recovery cost, you stand to make a profit. Go ahead
and start selling.

7.Reduce your materials,
labor and overhead costs so you don’t lose money. Stop
and reconsider. Can you lower your costs? Can you make the item faster? If not,
look at alternative products to make.

8.Improve the perceived
value. Increase the perceived value of your item by improving or
enhancing any number of its core elements, packaging or the creator’s
reputation. Photography, product samples, packaging, display, location,
environmental qualities, media coverage, the creators’ qualifications and
unique accomplishments and credentials, every and any known way to add
uniqueness and quality to the product for the customer.

Don’t lower the price:

Resist lowering the price. Don’t think that
you’ll sell more because you won’t. Unique handmade products command higher
prices everywhere. People associate low prices with cheaply made items. In
fact, you may have to raise an item’s price till you find the best selling
price.

How to Price Crafts and Things You Make to Sell

James Dillehay

List $ 12.99 (trade soft cover) $4.99 (Kindle
edition)

Published by Warm Snow Publishers

Available online and from the publisher. For
more information visit www.craftsu.com

About the author

James Dillehay is a professional craft artist,
gallery owner, and author of nine books. He has been interviewed in The Wall
Street Journal Online, Yahoo Finance, The Chicago Tribune, Bottom Line
Personal, Family Circle, The Crafts Report, and many more including
Entrepreneur Radio and HGTV.

James is founder of www.Craftsu.com,
a social network where craft artists can buy and sell for free.

What People Are Saying

"There's
so much valuable information in here that I highly recommend it to any crafter
who'd like to make a profit on her wares." ~ H. Grove, Maryland, USA

"An excellent
resource . . . a well-organized book is nothing without solid information and
the book delivers here." ~ The Crafts Report

“Once I found this book I said “this is exactly
what I need!” ~ Lene Randol

“Pricing your art is an impossible task that
James Dillehay has totally solved. This book covers EVERYTHING you ever needed
to know about how to price your handmade crafts.”

~ CB Burton

“Well put together and very informative, every
crafter can benefit from this information.”~ Michelle T.